Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
by PrincessCharmed15
Summary: She took her hand in his, ‘Draco, this isn’t the end. You can refuse, we can protect you! Back out. You don’t have to do this,’ ‘Can’t you see' He cried angrily pulling away from her and walking in the other direction, ’I want to do this!’
1. Your Love Ch1

Where is he, Hermione's mind whirred like a cine film in front of her eyes, she was sure he was scheduled to be in her care of magical creatures class, the only reason she had agreed to squeeze it into her already packed timetable was that she _knew _he was in it.

She was hardly in the mood to stand in the cold down by Hagrids run down little shack he liked to call a house and let the rain seep through her robes and down the back of her school blouse making her freezing cold and irritable, she was still reeling from Ron's unnecessary attack on her- it wasn't her fault Trewelany is a brainless hag, Who needs to be able to read minds? Not Hermione for sure who had enough on her plate already.

At least Divination was one subject down, care of magical creatures was another she could definitely do with out and she was beginning to go back on her snap decision, he might not even be taking it, although she was sure she had seen it when he dropped his timetable at her feet in the hall.

She took one step at a time down to the edge of the forbidden forest, following Ron's red head bobbing up and down a few paces in front of her, the clear pale grey sky was cloudless and dull and there was rain clinging to each grass stem, seeming unwilling to let go and let the day brighten. This day, it seemed, was deemed to be as dull and lifeless as her current mood.

She willed Ron to speed up so she could crane her neck to see if he was already down, waiting for the class to begin, without a doubt leaning with ease on the fence, robes cascading over his muscular frame and those piercing grey eyes searching. Searching for her?

Move your head, Ronald.

Harry made a noise from behind her, looking past Ron's head with a look of pure disgust in his bottle green eyes. Oh how she wished for a few more inches in height so she could see the only thing that could invoke such hatred in Harry. It had to be him.

Ron reached the bottom of the grassy verge and stuffed his hands in his pockets moodily, still without saying a word of apology to Hermione, and so thoroughly deserved the glare she threw him and then she saw.

There he was, commanding the attention of those two idiots crabbe and goyle, standing in a triangle laughing and nudging each other boyishly. He had his hands on his hips, his white blonde hair blowing in the wind over his pale face and those eyes.

They weren't searching, they were sparkling.

Why did nobody else see that sparkle? Harry called them dead, said they had about as much life in them as nearly headless nick. Ron just called them evil and cold. They were seeing it all wrong, they were deep, they were intimate. They were sharp and piercing, sure, scary too- but fantastic.

Suddenly his eyes snapped from his friends, and locked with Hermione's and she felt her heart skip a beat, was he actually looking at her without throwing an insult? The dull lifeless day around her swum in front of her eyes and it suddenly didn't seem quite so bad after all, it wasn't dull, it was vivacious. It wasn't lifeless, it was fantastic.

Because Draco Malfoy acknowledged her existence, not as a mud blood, or a pathetic kiss up, but as a human being.

And that was enough.

'C'mon, now get a move on!' Hagrid's voice broke into Hermione's thoughts like a piercing knife and she suddenly looked around. Hargrid was leading the class towards the forest into the shadows and Harry had already started walking. She didn't dare look back at him, but followed after Harry and caught up, when she was about to tug on his sleeve and whisper, hagrid's voice boomed out again.

'Everyone gather round the fence here, That's it' she leant on the fence in exhaustion and put her head in her hand.

'Now, firs' yeh'll want ter do is open yer books-'

'How?' said a sneering voice from the back of the clump of students and she didn't have to look round to know it was him.

Hermione had to admit, pulling the copy of The Monster Book of Monsters out of her bag which she had clamped together with a bull clip, that she hadn't been able to fathom this either.

'Hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?' said Hagrid looking crestfallen.

'Yeh've got ter stroke 'em,' he said eventually with exasperation, 'Look'

He snatched Hermione's copy out of her outstretched hand and stroked it down the spine, the quivering book seemed to immediately calm and flopped open, leaving Hagrid with an endearing lopsided grin on his face and watched as the other students attempted to run their fingers along the spines of their own and sigh relieved when the book would sink into their hands.

Hermione dared to look round at Draco, he was rubbing his left hand angrily after throwing his now stationary book on the floor in anguish and grumbling to himself.

'Oh, tremendously funny!' he cried in abhorrence narrowing his eyes past her and focusing on Hagrid, 'Really witty! Giving us books that try to rip our hands off!'

'Shut up Malfoy' said Harry's voice from beside her, and she felt him stiffen in loyalty to the professor. Hermione's already clammy hands shook with worry- her best friend and Draco Malfoy. Something inside her screamed Don't-Get-Involved and she backed away from Harry and mixed in with the crowd, and craning her neck to watch.

'God this place is going to the dogs, That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him-'

He was striding angrily towards Harry and Hermione felt a mix of emotions she didn't even know existed, Fear, loyalty to Harry, anger at Malfoy, Loyalty to Malfoy, Anger at Hagrid, while still feeling sorry for him. She rubbed her head with worry and screwed up her eyes, she could here Harry arguing back but blocked it out.

What did she do to deserve this?

'Are you ok, Hermione?' said lavender brown peering at her in confusion.

'Fine.' she snapped shortly.

'I was only asking, no need to get cross,' Lavender sneered giving Parvati Patil a look out of the corner of her eye and smirking superciliously.

'And I'm only telling,' Hermione said angrily turning away from them, they were toffee nosed snobby cows and she didn't have a clue why after three years they had decided to be nice to her now. They must be up to something.

'Oooooooooh!' squealed Lavender again and Hermione put her hand to her ear, nursing her new headache she'd acquired, and was about to turn round and tell them to be quiet when she realised Lavenders outburst hadn't been directed at her at all.

Hippogriffs? Was Hagrid totally mental? He could get them all killed! She'd read about them and they definatly weren't third year material, a seventh year case study at the most but third years? And especially this third year class…this confirmed it in Hermione's mind that Hagrid had lost it.

The next thing she knew Harry had lifted his hand and volunteered himself to go off for the slaughter.

No.

'Harry!' she hissed after him urgently, 'Harry! You daft idiot, its too dangerous!'

He just tossed her a glare over his shoulder and climbed over the fence to join Hagrid, Lavender brown was whispering excitedly with Parvati about tea leaves and Harry's death and Hermione put her head in her hands.

What an idiot.

'That's it, now bow…' Hagrid was mumbling from the fence as Harry edge towards this winged beast. Oh come on, Hippogriff- bow!

Bow!

Oh my life, Hermione thought rubbing her temples nervously.

'Back away!' she hissed. Hagrid seemed to have caught on and echoed her loudly as Harry did as he was told, putting one foot after another slowly backing towards the fence and to safety, but suddenly the hippogriffs legs seemed to buckle and it put its head to the floor, slowly but surely.

A bow.

Hagrids face broke into a wide smile and he let out a heavy breath of relief, 'I reckon he might let yeh ride him!' he boomed over to harry.

What?!

'R-Ride him?' said Harry nervously ruffling his hair and stiffening but Hagrid just strided over and hoistered him up onto the Hippogriffs back, which seemed to shake and toss its head angrily at hagrid.

'Go on then!' Hagrid roared slapping its hindquarters and it reared up, throwing Harry worryingly near the edge and he just caught it round the next as it sped towards the edge of the forest and stretched its wide breadth wings and took off into the grey sky.

The class was screaming and cheering, clapping loudly and talking animatedly amongst one another and Hermione felt her worry ebb away, he was ok, he was alive. He was perfectly safe flying with a hippogriff. She grinned to herself, now there's a sentence you don't say everyday.

Suddenly something pushed her to the side and she hit Ron square in the chest, who stumbled backwards and apologised to the girl behind him awkwardly. Draco had pushed past her angrily watching Harry soar around the castle, the figure of him getting smaller and smaller as he flew away from the clearing.

'I bet you think he's fantastic, don't you Granger?' He spat angrily at her. Her cheeks reddened, she didn't like his tone.

'Actually I do!' she said indignantly.

'I'll have you know,' He said flicking his hair back out of his eyes and focusing them on hers, 'I could do anything scar-head could do, but better.'

'Like I care' she spat angrily.

'I bet he looks brilliant to you, you've never seen a real wizard in the flesh, have you granger?'

'I hope your not referring to yourself!' said Hermione putting her bag on the floor and striding towards him.

'Who else? Weasel-spawn? Of course I'm referring to myself. I could do that 10 times better than Potter' He smirked looking up at the sky in which you couldn't even see Harry or Buck beak anymore.

'Yeah, right' She wore a smirk almost identical to his own, which seemed to put him off slightly and he cocked his head slightly to the side in confusion.

Hermione smiled sweetly and watched the look in his eyes turn from superiority to surprise.

Draco Malfoy, Hermione thought happily, You have met your match.

Once Harry had returned to the ground and climbed off Buck beaks ruffled back, his hair windblown and red in the face, it seemed everyone wanted to have a go at taming the feathery beast. Hermione stood back as Ron bowed slowly to the Hippogriff they were practicing with but instead of watching her friend she had her eyes on Draco.

He strode confidently up to Buck beak and bowed tastefully, his hair flopping over his face, and it flicked back over onto the back of his robes once the Hippogriff had bowed back. He grinned and stroked its hard beak.

His eyes found Hermione's, someone he knew she had been watching and nodded as if to say told you so.

'This is very easy,' he called loudly so she could hear, 'I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it…I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?' he said to the hippogriff, 'Eh? You ugly great brute?'

In one quick flurry of claws and talons, she heard the yells and the yelps, the roar of the hippogriff and she whipped round in time to see Draco fly through the air and hit the ground with force, blood proceeding from his arm and shoulder and his face white with terror.

After a few silent moments, where Hermione shook with terror, he seemed to come to and realise everyone was looking at him and starting whining, 'I'm dying !' he cried over and over.

He's ok.

He's alive.

Hermione instinctively dropped her bag and made to run to his side, but Hagrid beat her to it, very white in the face, his tiny black beady eyes darting around with apprehension.

Hagrid scooped him up in his gigantic arms and holstered him into the air, Hermione ran to the gate and unlocked it, pulling it open she stood, shaking- as she watched Hagrid pass with Draco in his arms.

He'd stopped crying out in pain, but she could see the deep gash in his arm, and the blood which had seeped all over him. His face was drained of colour and he caught her eye as they past.

She attempted, what she hoped was a sympathetic smile but she could feel tears prickling behind her eyes and willed herself not to cry.

And she swore, to the day she died, that he smiled back.


	2. Your Love Ch2

Anger is a funny thing, Hermione mused as she walked quickly down the corridor without any real purpose, the lights were dim due to the lack of evening light at the windows and the candles were shining in their holders on the walls, marking her way towards the entrance hall with blurred orange orbs.

After the anger has passed, you feel it was unnecessary and that next time, you would remember to keep your temper and let it wash over you. After the event, the problem seems insignificant.

At the time, however, nothing matters more than lashing out at the cause of that anger, Hermione especially felt she had such channelled tunnel vision in angers wake that all logic went out the window all together.

This isn't insignificant though, is it. No. It damn well is NOT. Nobody in their right mind could say this was insignificant.

She stormed out of the doors in the entrance hall and the frosty cold air of the December evening hit her, making her wrap her robes around her shoulders. The sky was pitch black, no stars twinkled to light her way and the moon was covered in a thick layer of cloud making the night instead of being bewitching and magical as it should be at Christmas, eerie and silent. She set out on the path towards the forest, intending on visiting Hagrid but stopped in her tracks.

Her head jerked over towards the quidditch pitch, someone was flying, she could hear it in the air the low whistling of a broom and collection of robes flapping in the air.

Harry?

She had hardly spoken to Harry for weeks, he was always accompanying Ron everywhere he went and she longed to talk to him alone, to make him see how unreasonable his best friend is. Krum was just a _friend_, sure he might be a little forward for her liking, but it didn't mean they were…you know.

She reached the wooden doors to the changing rooms and pushed open the creaking door, unlocked it swung to the side and she hesitated. Whoever had been flying had come down because she could here someone rooting around in the boys changing room, and a low heavy breath.

'Harry?' she called tentatively.

She received no answer in confirmation so she edged closer and called again.

'Who's there?' A voice replied. Was it Harry? It didn't sound like him, but maybe it was. Who else would fly at night?

She edged open the door, 'Are you decent?' she called.

Something murmured affirmative so she poked her head around the corner, her long curly hair flopping over her face and she had to blow it out of her face to see.

'Oh!' she cried covering her eyes quickly with her hand, 'Malfoy? What are you doing here?'

'Granger?' he snapped pulling a towel around himself self-consciously , 'What the hell?'

Hermione's hand shook slightly in front of her face and her cheeks went brick red, Draco Malfoy was standing half naked in front of her and she wasn't moving.

Why wasn't she moving?

Her legs seemed to be frozen in nervousness to their, if uncomfortable position half in-half out the door, she had meant to come and have a cosy chat with Harry and ended up within meters from the biggest crush of her teenage years, half naked.

So she was being repetitive, HALF NAKED. She could afford to think it over and over again, if it meant she didn't have to move.

'Granger?' He said with a smirk, 'Were you looking for someone or are you getting that _little_ action with Weasel that you had to come and get an eye full?'

Hermione's ears and cheeks heated up with embarrassment, 'No!' she spluttered , 'N-no to the second one, Y-yes to the first one, I- Er' she stopped her self and took a breath, 'Is harry here?' she said finally.

'Who Potter?' He said turning back to the locker and slamming it shut, 'No.'

Hermione suddenly realised he hadn't called her a Mud blood once in the whole conversation. Something told her to make the most of it. Taking her hand away from her face and forced her self to look at his face and nowhere else.

Wow.

If she hadn't had a full blown crush all ready she definitely did now.

'Has he been here at all tonight?' She said putting her hair behind her ears. Maybe it would make her look prettier if she'd put some make up on. Was she even pretty? She wasn't totally repulsive since she'd had her teeth shrunk but not nearly as pretty as Pansy Parkinson. Nothing to interest Draco Malfoy.

'Why should I know?' He shrugged buttoning up a shirt over his chest and shaking his wet head of unruly white curls. He has naturally curly hair? She'd never have thought…

'I just thought Don't worry, I'll just -' she started to back out of the door until,

'Granger?'

'Yes?!' she said quickly putting her head back through the door so quickly she almost cricked her neck and winced in pain.

'Is Weasel bothering you?'

He said it so quickly she hardly even registered it, and she rose her eyebrows.

'You care?'

'No.' He snapped ,'I just heard you arguing the other day and- you know he is a total git. He was nasty to you. Trouble in paradise? Lovers tiff?'

Normally, she would have stormed off angrily for insulting Ron but at the moment, it was just what she needed.

'Ron and I are not lovers,' she snapped reddening, 'and we're not talking actually.'

'So?'

He sat on the bench and stretched out, putting his hands behind his head and leaning casually on the lockers behind. The shirt he had just pulled over his toned pale shoulders was white and floorless, and baggy black jeans hanging off his middle and patted the vacant place next to him.

She edged round the door and took a look around the boys changing room with a deep breath she sat down tentatively next to him.

'He thinks, or rather, He is sure that Victor and I are-'

'Krum?' He said sharply.

She nodded, 'Thinks that we're…_you know_. But we're not, but he thinks we are and he said some nasty stuff and- augh, I just can't stand it he ruins everything!'

Draco made a noise in his throat, 'And you're not? You know, with Krum?'

'No!' she cried, 'He just watches me study and took me to the ball 'cause I mentioned that I wasn't going with anybody.' She closed her eyes, 'Why am I even telling you this?'

'Because I asked' He said simply and for the first time she looked up at him.

He was watching her, forehead creased in thought and those silver eyes focused on her, without loathing for the first time ever.

'Y-You don't hate me?' She said quietly, surprising her self.

Draco leant back and looked at the wall opposite, it was off white with mud up the walls, Quidditch robes hung on it and she focused on a pair of Hufflepuff keepers gloves.

'No.' He said equally as quietly.

She didn't dare look around.

'But you call me Mud blood all the time' She said indignantly.

'I don't mean it' He countered, 'I don't _really, _But what else can I do? If I don't my friends will think I'm soft.' He said sharply, 'and on the whole I don't like muggle borns.'

Hermione cocked her head to one side confused, 'But you just said-'

'I said, _on the whole' _

Hermione's heart was throbbing in her chest, it seemed it was beating so forcefully it would jump right out of her throat and onto the dirty mud covered floor in front of her.

'You're different' He said finally.

'well _on the whole_ I don't like Slytherins' She said softly.

Suddenly he clambered up, towering above her and gathered his quidditch things, running his hands frustrated through his shining hair and picking up his broom he made for the door.

'Bye, Granger,' He said hurriedly and he was gone.


	3. Your Love Ch3

'Malfoy!' Hermione called quickly making after the blonde who was retreating quickly, 'Draco Malfoy!' she tried again.  
He reluctantly turned around, he was taller than he had been the previous year, now almost 16 but just as handsome and his robes were older and slightly more careworn. He looked at her angrily.

'I am in a hurry, Granger.' He said sarcastically.

'Shut up, Snape told me to tell you to meet him in the dungeons, that's all!' She said huffily and pushed past.

'Mud blood,' he muttered.

She turned quickly and looked around for his friends but they weren't anywhere to be seen.

'Why are you calling me that? You're friends aren't here' she said hurt.

'Because you are, now I have places to be.' he said turning away. She breathed heavily and narrowed her eyes.

'Draco!' she called sharply. In surprise he stopped and turned round, cricking his neck and cracking it the other way angrily.

'Who are you, calling me _that?' _He said harshly, his trademark smirk long forgotten and abhorrence replacing, cold hard anger directed straight at her.

'I-,' now she'd said it she couldn't for the life of her think of anything to say. 'please don't call me a mud blood.' she said faintly.

He looked at her, his expression was hardly anger, but she couldn't trace any emotion on his face at all any more. This worried her more.

'I-' Draco seemed to be lost for words, 'I'm sorry.'

The world swam around Hermione suddenly, and she forgot she was standing in the third floor corridor, she was on cloud nine, she was flying above Hogwarts, above England, above the world in the clear blue sky. Birds were singing, clouds were white and fluffy. Who cares about Voldemort? Who _cares _about the order of the phoenix? None of it mattered.

'You are?' she squeaked.

'I guess I forgot,' he said taking a step forward towards her.

'Forgot what?' she almost whispered, she was surprised he even heard.

'How beautiful you are,' He was too close now, a foot away at the most, 'How kind, how smart, how sweet…' he was almost talking to himself, and not to her, but looking deep into her eyes. She didn't even dare breathe.

And then he was kissing her, his hands were in her waist length hair, her hands resting comfortably on his chest and she lost all control.

It wasn't until later when she tore her self away and straightened her grey pleated skirt before skipping into the great hall with a grin plastered across her face it hit her.

She loved him.


	4. Your Love Ch4

'Hermione!' He cried, his deep voice piercing through the night. She pressed her fingers to her lips urgently and hurried up the stairs to the top of the astronomy tower.

'You're ok!' He said quieter in relief reaching her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, 'You're safe, We're together now' He was muttering to himself into her hair.

Pulling away she looked at the floor, her hair drooping across her brown freckled face.

'You're hurt' He stated pushing the hair out of her face and tracing the scar across her right cheek, 'What happened?'

'Accident,' she muttered, 'At the ministry- Death eaters, lots of trouble. You must have heard already' she said almost bitterly.

'What are you talking about?' he said taking a step backwards unsurely.

'Draco, I know- you're father, you're mother. Harry told me but I didn't want to believe him. They're death eaters. I knew it. I knew it all along and I need you to tell me the truth.'

Draco was shaking his head quickly, pacing from left to right in the narrow tower, and looking out at the stars.

'Did you know anything about this?' She said sharply.

The silence scared her, in the year she'd shared with him, all the times they have laid under the stars in this very tower, he had always talked non-stop, about his friends and his studies, his life before Hogwarts, his wishes and fears and she had listened. Laying her head on his chest and letting him stroke her hair and kiss her shoulders, making her shiver and long for him when he wasn't around. But silence? She couldn't handle that.

'Draco, Please' she cried desperately under her breath.

He just turned, his eyes locked with hers and she didn't have to ask to know the answer.

He'd known. He agreed.

'How can you stand by and let this happen? How can you love me, if you're _evil?'_

She didn't care if she was being tactless, logic had left her- left her the minute she saw Lucius Malfoy opposite her in the dim light of the department of mysteries, that hair. The same hair she had ran her fingers through so many times. The hair of the boy she loved, and she saw him. In years to come, going the same way as his father. She'd felt dirty fighting next to Ginny and Ron, and especially Harry.

'I do love you Hermione' He said faintly, ' but its not that simple.'

'But It can be!' she said taking his hand in hers, it was so familiar but suddenly so strange to her.

'love isn't _enough_, Hermione' He snapped pulling it from her grasp, 'Love won't save me, Love won't save my family, and Love won't save you!'

Hermione shook her head slowly from side to side, she couldn't register it. Draco, he was evil. She was in love with a death eater.

'Draco, this isn't the end. You can refuse, we can protect you! Back out. You don't' have to do this,'

'Can't you see?!' He cried angrily pulling away from her and walking in the other direction, 'I want to do this!'

'Y-You want to ?' she said faintly, her voice hardly coming out. She felt as if she was going to faint.

'I'm not evil, I don't want to kill. I don't want to be a Death Eater, but I want to make my father proud. It's all I've ever wanted to do. Can't you see that? Can't you see that if I want to do that I _have _to join the Dark Lord.'

'J-Join?'

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to make sense of what she'd heard. Of course, she could never tell Harry or Ron- deny any knowledge. That's what she'd do. Pretend like it didn't matter to her whether Malfoy was dead or alive.

'Hermione' he returned to her, taking her head in his hands, 'I love you. You know that?'

'I know.' she said her face in the shadows, blanched of emotion, 'and that's why I have to go'

She wrapped her arms around his neck for one last time, feeling his hair and his neck and kissed him on his soft lips, that she knew so well. Tracing his cheek and leaving her hands on his chest and she pulled away.

'Goodbye, Draco Malfoy' She whispered.


	5. Your Love Ch5

'Snape killed Dumbledore'

Silence.

Cold, horrible, inaudible, impenetrable silence was swimming around Hermione's ears and all she could hear was the beating of her own blood in her head. Her temples were throbbing with pain and she could feel a gash on her cheek, from which blood was spurting but suddenly none of it mattered.

But it wasn't cruel heartless, greasy haired Snape Hermione was thinking of, her mind traced back over Harry's words. He had sat in that very chair and rubbed his temples and said, 'Malfoy came in a disarmed him.'

Draco.

'Lucius Malfoy?' Hermione hissed to Tonks, the young woman narrowed her eyes with hate- her own small pale face covered in splattered dry blood so it looked like she'd fallen down on the quidditch pitch and her shoulder length mousy hair was clinging limply and wet to it.

'No. His son' She mouthed, her attention seemed to fixed elsewhere.

It was then when Hermione knew things could not get much worse.

She shook her head slowly from side to side, thanking Merlin that everybody else was too concerned with Harry or Bill to notice her. She held her head underneath her hair and felt tears welling up inside her. Her heart had broken at the news of Dumbledore's death, he was a fantastic man and how it had happened she would never no- he was more than a match for Snape…but the fact that he had been at Draco's mercy.

Her Draco, her good Draco, for she knew somewhere deep down he must be. If he wasn't then why didn't he finish off Dumbledore while he had the chance? He had to be good somewhere.

Her Draco had sent Dumbledore to his death. He wasn't her Draco anymore.

She had to sit down, but all the seats were occupied with either Tonks, leaning over and looking into Bills shallow wilted face with worry or on the other side with Lupin- looking across Bill at Tonks- with equal worry.

Her legs buckled underneath her and she took the opportunity to lower herself to the floor, crossing her legs uncomfortably underneath her and burying her head in her hands.

Her love wasn't enough.

He sat, in the pitch black impenetrable darkness, his robes pulled tight around his knees. The night was resisting to give in to morning, and the cold was biting at his cheeks and fingers, his white blonde hair obscuring his vision and hallow grey face. His eyes lifeless, he let the tears come. For he knew they would come some time.

They had to.

His legs ached with exhaustion, and his whole body longed for the fire in the Slytherin Common Room, somewhere to curl up and be safe. He was anything but safe.

She'd know soon.

A bird rustled the trees above him and an owl hooted in the distance, somewhere people were talking and laughing, most likely Muggles clinking drinking classes and toasting each other drunkenly. Draco was alone.

She'd know soon.

His thoughts flew automatically to the Dark Lord, and he shook with apprehension and blatent fear, he didn't want to die. Not without explaining to her.

She'd know by now. Potter would have told her, he was sure he was there- in that stupid invisibility cloak. Potter didn't think he knew about it, but everyone in the school knew- one of those stupid school secrets that everybody passes around and speculates about. He'd never here a school secret again.

He should have listened to her, he could have backed out back on that night on the astronomy tower, he shuddered again, she'd have protected him.

He closed his eyes and conjured up her face in his mind, her tanned freckled skin and warm hazel eyes, her messy curly hair and reckless fiery nature, it was enough almost to warm him for

a few moments until another gust of wind made him shudder with cold again.

Her love could have saved him

'Hermione?' McGonagall said looking down at the shrunken girl at her feet. She looked up, her face blood splattered and tear stained, 'Dear- Its time to go to bed'

'I can't sleep tonight' she replied faintly drawing her self up and walking to the window, staring weakly out at the stars.

'I know its very sad,' said McGonagall putting her hand on Hermione's shoulder who automatically stiffened, 'But you must get some sleep'

'Do you think he's out there too? Looking at the stars?' Hermione whispered almost inaudibly.

'I'm sure he is dear, wherever he is now.' She said warmly.

Hermione just smiled apathetically. She hadn't meant Dumbledore.

Her love had never been enough.

Her love didn't save him from the dark lord.

Her love didn't save her from him.

Love alone just wasn't enough.


End file.
